Mistake
by Whisperblaze luvs Dramione
Summary: Henri never figured out that Eadlyn and Eikko were in love. He never refused to marry Eadlyn. Eadlyn never announced to Illea that she was marrying Eikko. Instead, she proposed to Henri on the Report and the whole nation saw it. But the feelings between Eadlyn and Eikko are still there. And as much as one of them wants to forget about them, the emotions don't want to be stifled.
1. Tears of Mascara

**Hey guys! Thank you so much for clicking on Mistake! I hope u enjoy the story!**

 **Also, THIS IS NOT A ONE SHOT! THERE WILL BE MORE CHAPTERS! I'm not sure how long this story is going to be, though, so if you have any length suggestions, feel free to leave them in a review ;)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the selection series. The amazing and bae-tastic Kiera Cass does! ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

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"Henri Jaakoppi, will you marry me?"

I put on a smile as he happily replied, hugging me as the crowd cheered for us, a few tears of joy leaking out of his eyes. I knew he was happy; it was obvious to anyone who looked at him and I was glad that he was filled with so much delight. Henri was an amazing person. I'd be a terrible human being if I wished him misfortune. He deserved to be happy.

All along the studio, the people watching my proposal were clapping and smiling as well, representing barely a fraction of our nation, whom were all viewing this scene. Yes, the queen had found herself a king…or, more accurately, a prince consort. Why would anyone be sad on a day like this one?

But the assumption that no one could be sad was false. For there was not one but two people who were melancholy in the room where the _Report_ was being videoed. One of them was me, the queen herself.

I looked past Henri's shoulder as I was caught in his embrace, searching the people's faces for the bright blue pair of eyes that I longed for so desperately. As the time stretched on, I became desperate. Had he left already? Where was he?

I turned my ears off as Gavril started bringing the show to a close. I didn't need to listen to him. I only needed to find _him._

As soon as the red lights on the cameras that announced that they were filming were off, I gave Henri a quick kiss and fled the studio before he could speak any words he wanted to say.

I held my dress as I ran, high heels clicking on the tile as they carried me on. I didn't stop to think about how improper or unladylike I must've looked. At that point, I didn't care. I just needed to run.

He had left me already. He wasn't at the _Report_ when I had proposed. If he had been, I knew that our eyes would have undoubtedly met. We had an ability to do that, to find each other's eyes in a sea of people. If my eyes hadn't been able to find his in a matter of moments, then his eyes weren't present to be found.

I was crying now, silent tears falling down my face as I ran up the stairs that led to the second story. I used a hand to wipe at my ruined mascara, but lost my footing while doing so and tripped, barely catching myself before crashing into the ground. I reached up and grabbed onto a railing, not caring that I left smudges of mascara on it while I regained my composure.

 _Breathe, Eadlyn._

 _But how can I breathe when I know that he's gone?_

I walked on after a moment, taking deep breaths to try to slow my tears. After a moment, though, a thought popped into my head and I couldn't continue to walk any longer. As the hope filled my mind, I sprinted down the hallway yet again, being sure not to trip over myself this time.

I paused outside of his door, chest heaving with hope, excitement, fear, regret, and most of all, love. I didn't think about how this would be the last time I ever saw him or how it would only make the pain worse. I only thought about him: his blue eyes and dark hair, his kind yet shy smile, his beautiful heart.

That's right. I didn't think.

So the shock that met me when I burst into his room to see nothing was more than I could handle. I had been so sure that there was more hope in this situation, that I would hear his voice and see his face one more time. I had been so sure that I hadn't stopped to think "what if" or "maybe." And that little mistake of mine had cost me dearly.

Closing the door behind me, I let the tears come freely. I sobbed loudly as a moved to sit on his bed, looking around the room with regret and overpowering sadness.

 _It wasn't that long ago…_

 _Just a few hours ago…_

 _He was here._

 _He stood there,_

 _Sat here,_

 _Laid there._

 _But I'm too late._

 _He's gone now._

I looked to where he had stood the day before my coronation, when he had been arguing with a butler about his suit. He had looked handsome in it, sharp and perfect. He had looked at me like I was the most beautiful girl in the world. I had seen him and realized how much I loved him.

But not just him. There was more to it than that. I loved his crooked smile, his caring heart, the way he looked at me with yearning, love, and brokenness all alive in his bright blue eyes. I loved the way he walked, with his shoulders hunched forward slightly and his gaze on the floor, the way he was shy in front of cameras, how he didn't think he was higher than anyone else. I loved his easy going laugh, his bright smile, the way he put his hands in his pockets whenever he trailed behind Henri. I even loved the way he bit his nails when he was nervous, though he only ever did so when he didn't think I was watching.

I loved him.

I _love_ him. No –d on the end of it.

Love, not loved.

Love.

It tore me apart to see his room empty. There was nothing there to show any sign of his presence in the room. It had been vacuumed by the butlers, cleaned by the maids, and his suitcase had been packed by him. He was completely and utterly gone.

I couldn't stand to be there for another moment. Opening the door, I ran out of the room that was mocking me with its powerful memories. I heard it as clearly as if it had yelled it at me.

It laughed at me as the torments pursued me. "Hey, Eadlyn! I get to treasure these memories on my walls forever! And what do you have? Nothing!"

I was bawling again as I ran, the words and thoughts bouncing around inside of my skull. My feet tripped underneath me yet again, doing so continuously, but I never fell. I don't know how I even managed to keep running, but I did so and tripped at the same time, all the way to the third floor.

I fell against the door to my bedroom, clutching at the doorknob desperately as a held myself up with my fingernails. I was a mess. It briefly crossed my mind that Eloise would be shocked beyond words at the sight of me and that I'd have to explain myself, but I didn't have time to think about anything further than that.

I finally burst into the room after managing to open the stubborn door. Once I was inside, though, I immediately slammed it again, not bothering to turn around and face my room as I collapsed. I just clung to the wood, kneeling on the ground, barely able to hold myself up at all. I held the knob with all of my strength. It was, after all, the only thing keeping me from falling.

I bawled my heart out, knowing that because I hadn't been immediately comforted by Eloise, she wasn't here and I was alone. My tears ran down the door as I pressed my face against it, the sobs racking my body and shaking it beyond control.

He was gone. My love had left me before I could say good-bye. And now I would never see him again.

"Eadlyn…"

I gasped and jumped in shock at the sudden voice, standing and desperately trying to open the door. But after a moment, realization hit me like a slap to the face and I turned back, facing the inside of my room.

There he stood, not ten feet away from me, dark hair ruffled and blue eyes full of tears, though they refused to fall. His lower lip trembled as he looked at me and he swallowed several times, trying to keep his cool in our final minutes. But I could see it plainly: he was as hurt and lost as I was.

"Eikko," I whispered, running to his open arms.

He met me halfway and wrapped me up in his arms, stroking my hair soothingly as I wept into his shirt. I felt him shaking, too, as we hugged each other. But I only focused on Eikko and how it was to be with him. I knew he was doing the same with me.

When I finally pulled back from him enough to see his face, I saw that the tears had finally fallen. They cascaded down his cheeks, off his chin, and into my messy hair, and I smiled slightly at it. I don't know why it made me smile, but it did.

But it didn't last long. I sniffed as I rested my head on his chest, tears of mascara falling endlessly as Eikko wrapped his arms tighter around me. We stood there for an eternity, just crying and holding each other as if it was all that mattered in the world.

And in a way, it was.

I looked up at him again as my tears were renewed. Eikko gave me the smallest of smiles before lifting a hand up and wiping away the traces of black from my face. He cleaned his hand off on his suit, one that I had insisted he wear on his last day. The dark grey fabric was darkened as the mascara created a line of black that dripped towards the earth.

I sniffed again and returned a weak smile. "Sorry for ruining your suit," I said lightly.

Eikko raised his fingers to my cheek, brushing it lightly as he cupped my face in his warm hand. He stared into my eyes, the blue as deep as his stare. "I don't care about this suit. I don't care about any of my things. My books and items: they don't matter. My family, friends; sure, they're important, but everything dulls in comparison to you."

We were kneeling on the floor now, wrapped up in each other's arms as we whispered quietly, the words interrupted by quiet sobs quite often.

"I love you, Eikko."

"I love you, Eadlyn. You are my moon and stars, my dusk and dawn, my day and night. I love you more than you can imagine." Eikko rested his forehead against mine, our noses pressed against each other lightly. I inhaled his exhales, as shaky and filled with sadness as each of them were.

"I love you, too, Eikko. You've changed me so much. You've showed me how to love and lead and I'll never be the same. You're still with me now, but I already miss you so much it hurts." I let out a sob of anger, but it was all directed at me. "I'm such a fool! I don't care about the rules, I just want you! Why didn't I propose to you? Why, why, why?"

I cried as I spoke, the tears flowing like a waterfall. I was shaking harder than I ever had before and as faithful as ever, Eikko was there to comfort me. He pressed himself against me, his warmth enough to calm me down ever so slightly, and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, trying to cease his own shaking.

Our eyes connected again and we both knew what the other wanted at the same time. I moved my hands to his neck as his moved to my waist, and I pulled him gently towards me. My heart beat faster as expectation and longing filled it up, so much that I feared my heart would die before the moment came.

But it held out. As our lips connected, happiness burst within me and filled me up entirely. The taste of his sweet lips on mine and the scent of his skin so close to my own made me believe that we would be fine, we had to be fine. We'd pull through, we'd make it.

He kissed me softly but passionately, as if he didn't want to hurt me, instead showing his love through the feeling that I received from his tears mixing with my own and the gentle pressure on my lips. I returned the feeling, moving my hands to his hair and leaving them to rest there comfortably.

Too soon, he drew back, his lips a mere centimeter from my own. Our foreheads rested together again and our eyes never broke contact. We didn't speak, but we knew quite clearly how the other felt.

But then the moment ended. Eikko stood, taking my hands and pulling me up next to him. He didn't meet my eyes, instead looking at the floor.

"I…" he started, needing to clear his throat to rid it of the overpowering emotions threatening to overtake him completely. "I should go."

I panicked. "Eikko, don't—"

"I have to," he whispered. "I have to go or I fear I will never."

"Then never!" I managed, falling into him and putting my hands on his chest. "Stay with me. We can work this out. I know we can. You just have to stay."

His eyes were still on the floor, but they brightened slightly at the idea. His mind was racing as he thought about what it would be like for us to have a future together. He would be happy, he and I knew that. We both would be happy.

But then those beautiful blue orbs of his darkened and he closed his eyes tightly, shaking his head. "I can't."

I let out a small puff of air, my heart screaming in the pain that those two words brought it. "Why not?"

Eikko swallowed. "Henri," he whispered, so quietly I almost missed it. His eyes finally jumped up to meet mine. "Henri. I could never do that to him. And I could never do that to you, make you look like a bad queen by having you go back on your decision to marry him."

Eikko took my hands in his as he took a small step back from me, leaving nothing but air in between our bodies. The separation from him killed me; my body screamed in desperation for him to be next to me once more, pressed against me, never to leave my side.

He looked into my eyes as he raised my hand to his lips, kissing it. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty," he said, the formality in it wrenching my heart. "I'll leave you in peace."

I was too shocked to go after him as he took the few steps to my door. I finally was shaken into reality when he opened it and stepped out of my room.

Eikko paused, his hand on the doorknob. His gaze was on the ground again as he whispered to me. "I love you Eadlyn. I do. But please don't contact me. I couldn't do that to Henri."

And in the moment that the door closed behind him, my heart officially broke.

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 **2551 words. How long do you guys like chapters? Shorter? Longer?**

 **So that was the first chapter of Mistake! Also the first selection fanfiction chapter that I have ever written! Did I do good?**

 **So, to reiterate, this is NOT a one-shot! There will be more chapters for sure!**

 **If you have read The Aspen's Screech, my other fanfic, then you know that I LOVE reviews and followers and favoriters. You definitely do not have to review or follow or favorite, but it means so much to me when you do! It inspires me to write more chapters! So please review, follow, and favorite if you want to! ;)**

 **Ok, thanks for reading the chapter! I will update this story once I get anywhere from 5-10 reviews, I don't know how often people review for selection fanfics! XD**

 **Anyways, thanks! Bye! Luv ya! Peace out! ;)**


	2. Loving, Lovable

**Here's another chapter! It's shorter than the other one, but it's not bad. XD**

 **But first, review replies! (aka RR's)**

 **RR's**

 **Guest: Good! I hope you continue to love it!**

 **AmeValdez: haha I'm glad you have so many questions! And I promise you, they will all be answered…all in good time XD Anyways, enjoy the new chappie!**

 **supergirls2008: Thank you! I'm excited about it too! I hope you like the new chapter!**

 **Henri Adorer: I totally agree, I love Henri too. He doesn't deserve to be hurt. He's totes adorbs! XD Enjoy the new chapter!**

 **AusllyRauraR51FANINTHEWORLD: Even though I didn't understand half of what you said, thank you! XD Your review made me lol! I hope you like the new chapter, too!**

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 **Ok, enjoy the new chapter, everyone! It's in Eikko's POV! Yaysers!**

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I closed the door behind me, immediately pressing my back to it and resting the back of my head against it. I swallowed once, twice, a thousand times. I took shaky breaths, slow exhales. I blinked my eyes, squeezed them shut. I sniffed loudly, let out a strangled groan from my throat. I tried everything imaginable.

But nothing kept the tears from coming.

They spilled over my eyelids, flowed down my cheeks, ran down my neck. They blurred my vision, keeping me from seeing anything but the salty water that marked my love for the Queen of Illea, the Queen of the place I lived, the Queen of my heart.

I sank to the ground, my head and back still pressed flat against the wooden door. I ran my hands through my dark hair and over my face. I rubbed at the tears streaking my face, trying to get them to disappear. But whenever I managed to remove any, they were just replenished. My eyes were an infinite source of the thing that symbolized the misery and eternal heartbreak to come.

I closed my eyes, swallowing again. I pictured her face, her brown eyes, perfect cheekbones, beautiful smile. She really was beautiful. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.

Not just on the outside. Yes, of course she was beautiful, but on the inside, too. At first, she'd seemed a bit harsh and distant, but beyond that, she was caring, funny, thoughtful, loving, and lovable.

They're two different things, loving and lovable. She's both of them.

Loving is—not to sound nerdy—an action. She saw the beauty in everyone. After the first few weeks of the Selection, she'd grown to love something in every single one of her suitors, even if she refused to admit it. It had pained her to send all but six of them home. Afterwards, it only got worse for her. She'd missed something in all of them, even the ones she barely knew.

She loved her people, too, and endlessly. She loved them so much that she knew she had to stick to the rules of the Selection. She loved me, I knew it undoubtedly, but she couldn't be with me if it meant betraying her people in any way, even in the smallest. My heart ached at the thought of her people getting her before I did, but I put it aside.

 _Stop being selfish, Eikko,_ I told myself.

But I retaliated in my head.

 _But I love her._

 _And they get her, not me._

 _So I am selfish, I suppose._

 _But I'd rather be selfish and have her…_

 _Than be selfish and watch her from afar._

 _But I guess I'll have to be the latter._

I shook my head, placing it in my hands. I took an unsteady breath, trying to clear my head. What had I been thinking about?

Oh, loving and lovable…that's right.

Yes, Eadlyn is definitely loving. But she's also lovable.

And, in my opinion, at least, that's the harder of the two to accomplish.

While loving is a verb, lovable is an adjective.

I let out a small laugh, imagining her rolling her eyes and smiling slightly at the sentence if she had heard it. She'd say, "Ugh, you're so nerdy!" to which I would reply, "I'm sorry. But I speak the truth." And then she'd hug me and never let me go and I'd lose myself in her arms.

The thought made me cry even harder.

Yes, while loving is a verb, lovable is an adjective. It is the word that defines the ability to be loved. It takes a certain kind of person to be able to be loved by another. The person has to be thoughtful, caring, kind, all things I knew she was.

For she was all I knew she was and so, so much more.

She was the Queen of Illea.

She was her brothers' role model.

Her parents' firstborn.

The head of the country.

The smile on my lips.

The sun in the sky.

The moon in the night.

And most of all…

She was the person who I loved.

I love her.

I was certain of it. More certain than I'd ever been in my entire life.

 _Go back to her!_ my mind screamed. _Turn around and tell her you've made a mistake! She knows you, she'll forgive you!_

I stood up again and turned to the door. My hand flew to the handle and I was beginning to turn it when I hesitated. I bit my lip and screwed my eyes shut. I let out a sigh of heartbreak and defeat.

I had forgotten yet again.

I couldn't do it.

Henri.

How could I keep forgetting about him? My heart kept holding onto hope for some reason, I didn't know why. But my head, the sensible one in the group, knew the truth, the real truth.

There was no hope.

Not anymore.

I choked back a sob. I blinked my eyes rapidly again. I straightened the sleeves of my suit, smiling sadly as I saw the streaks of mascara left by Eadlyn where she had cried into my chest. If only she could be there now, pressing herself into me, crying endlessly while I comforted her, my own sadness mixing with hers.

I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay outside of her room forever if it meant that I got to be close to her. Of course I'd prefer to be in her arms, be close enough to inhale her exhales, but it would do, being able to stand by her door. I would do it. Thankfully and gratefully.

But my mind yelled at my heart, telling it to stop acting as if it were a foolish child.

 _Pull yourself together,_ it said. _It's over. Walk away._

I sighed, knowing my head was right. It was over. I should walk away. As much as I didn't want to, I should do it.

So I pulled myself together, straightened my back, looked at Eadlyn's door one last time, then did what my mind told me to do.

I walked away.

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 **1024 words. This one is about 2/5 as long as the first chapter. Do u guys like longer chapters or shorter ones? I can go as long or as short as you'd like ;)**

 **Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter. I think I am going to be having several Eikko POVs in this story. Would you guys like that?**

 **Also, if you're a fan of the Warriors series, don't forget to check out my other fanfiction, The Aspen's Screech! You can (obviously) find it on my profile page! XD**

 **So I do QOTDTs (Question Of The Day Things) on my other story, so I guess I'll do them here, too!**

 **QOTDT: how long should the chapters be? About this length or closer to the first chapter? Or anything else?**

 **As always, reviews are MUCH appreciated, though obviously not mandatory! XD thanks!**

 **Thanks for reading! I love you guys! I'll update again when I get 5-10 reviews!**

 **K bye! ;)**


	3. Alpha and Beta

**Here's another chapter! It has both Eikko and Eadlyn POVs, but its Eikko for the most part ;) this is the last chapter focusing on Eikko's goodbye, I'll explain it a bit more at the bottom.**

 **RR's!**

 **supergirls2008: yeah, I was actually going to continue the last chapter until it reached the end of Eikko's POV in this chapter and then I was going to have Eadlyn with Henri be its own chapter, but I realized that would be WAY short, so I did this instead XD and this chapter is a bit longer, too. I hope you like it! Thanks for always reviewing!**

 **canifindtheone: thank you! I hate it so much when people get character's personalities wrong ):-( I hope I do well with this story though! Thanks for reviewing! You're awesome! XD**

 **Anna: thank you! I hope you like the new chapter! ;)**

 **CrazyxChaotic: haha thank you! And did you mean you were kidding about crying or showing that much emotion? XD thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I really hope u like the new chapter, too!**

 **AmeValdez: sorry, but you might not love this chapter, either…it has more Eikko and Eadlyn sadness in it :'( but I swear, it won't be sad forever! XD And I plan to keep updating if you guys keep reviewing! ;) XD enjoy the chappie!**

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 **Here you go! Thank you guys for reading! I didn't think anyone would actually read this, but you guys have proven me wrong XD**

 **Thanks and enjoy!**

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I sniffed, rubbing my nose with my hand in an attempt to clear it. It didn't work.

I sighed as I walked to my room, going to check if I'd left anything, each step taking me farther away from my love and what we could have had. My eyes flicked over the hallways, remembering and committing to memory all of the events that had happened in them in the past two months.

That was where I ran into Eadlyn when I was going to the kitchen after Henri's English lesson.

That was where I'd helped Eadlyn to her room after the fight between Burke and Fox.

We walked down that hall when we were going to her mother's old room where the secret passage was.

I blinked away the tears of regret, telling myself to keep a calm composure. If I started crying again and someone noticed, I'd have no liable explanation—or excuse, more realistically—to give them.

And I'd look downright ridiculous.

But I'd never really cared about that, I suppose. Not that I mean that I _want_ to look absurd or anything, just that I didn't care in the moment. When I felt something, I didn't care if other people thought badly of me. And I would normally let myself look how I felt in any situation like this, but I couldn't right now. Because if I did, people would ask and things would take a turn for the worse.

And things for me would be worse than they already were.

When I reached my room, I was glad that I'd forced myself to stay cool. Henri was sitting on my bed, hands folded, knee bouncing as he waited. His curly blonde hair fell over his forehead, almost long enough to cover his eyes, but not quite.

When he saw me, his face broke out into a wide grin and he stood. "Erik, I'd like to thank you so much."

He spoke to me in Finnish; that's how we usually talked when we weren't with the other guys or Eadlyn.

"It's nothing," I replied, also in Finnish. "It was a great experience for me, too," I said, breath hitching in my throat so that I had to clear it slightly.

"No, really," Henri pursued. "Without you, I never could've done this. You've been an amazing friend to me and have helped me so much. If I hadn't had you…" He sighed happily, eyes clouding up slightly as he thought dreamily. "…I never could've gotten to know Eadlyn.

"She's amazing. Beautiful, kind, strong. She's going to be an amazing queen, you know? And how lucky I am to be able to stand by her side. I'll love her endlessly. I already do. I just can't believe how lucky I am." He put a hand on my shoulder. "And you're why I got this far."

I shrugged, sadness threatening to envelop my as I listened to my friend's praises of the woman I loved. "Well, not really. If you hadn't picked me, you would have just had another translator." I put on a false grin, trying to lighten the mood inside me. But I wasn't focused on my mood anymore.

The single, simple sentence I had said had caused a chaos-filled plethora of thoughts tumbling around in my skull. What if he hadn't picked me as his translator?

I never would've come to the palace.

I never would've met Eadlyn.

I never would've been able to get lost in her eyes.

I never would've seen her heart and the secrets within it.

I never would've fallen in love.

Henri couldn't see the conundrum taking place in my mind. He just laughed and replied to what I'd said. "I suppose that's true, but I know that I couldn't have found a better friend in any other person." His sad features turned sad and downcast. "I'm going to miss you, Erik. Promise to visit the palace, okay?"

I didn't want to promise him that. Seeing him with Eadlyn, in person, happy and in love, would tear me more apart than I already was. And I didn't want to hurt Eadlyn or Henri with anything I might do or not do if I came to visit them.

But I nodded, seeing the hope in Henri's eyes. He was my friend. I couldn't not see him on occasion. But I'd need to have some _extreme_ self-control.

"Sure. I'll come and see you guys," I managed, putting on another smiled.

Something about the smile or something in my voice must've given something away. Henri frowned at me, tilting his head slightly. "What's wrong?"

"What?" I said, my stomach twisting into a knot. "Nothing's wrong."

"Really?" he slurred, one eyebrow rising a bit. "Because you look sadder than usual. And…is your face redder than normal?"

So I hadn't completely recovered from looking like I was crying. Great job, Eikko. You really outdid yourself this time.

"I don't know what you mean," I choked, smiling to try to look like I wasn't dying on the inside. "I feel fine."

Henri rolled his eyes. "Mhmm, okay. Well, if you don't want to tell me, I won't push it."

I inwardly sagged with relief.

"Well, I should probably leave." _Before you figure out what I'm messed up about,_ I added in my head.

Henri nodded sadly, then pulled me in for a hug. "Thank you. I can never tell you how grateful I am. If you ever need anything, _anything,_ you just come and ask me." Then he added in English, "Good, good?"

I smiled. "Good."

. . . ….. . . .

I stood outside of the palace, my suitcase next to me as I waited for the car that would take me to the airport. Every single part of me, every fiber of my being, screamed at me. They hated me now. They hated that I was making this decision. And I did too.

But my mind had, well, made up its mind. And it dominated over everything.

Most importantly, my heart.

And as much as I wished the beta could become the alpha, that wouldn't happen. Not in this scenario. I had the sense to know the consequences of my heart being the leader.

Would it be worth it to be with Eadlyn?

Of course.

But would it be worth it to make her look bad and be put through even more stress, adding more insanity to her already complicated life?

No. Never.

I would not, _could_ not ever do that to her.

So I'd suffer for her.

I'd do anything for her.

Even if that meant staying away from her _for_ her.

The car pulled up in front of me, the driver getting out and taking my suitcase. I sadly took in the sight of the vehicle that would carry me away from Angeles and the Queen of Illea.

I turned around to take in the sight of the palace once more. It truly was magnificent. It towered over me, both intimidating me and leaving me in awe. The bricks raced towards the sky, leaving trails of stone behind them in their wake. The beautiful architecture was dotted with elegant sliding glass windows and their balconies, the clear glass gleaming in the sunshine as it overlooked the gardens and where I stood.

And the palace was beautiful.

But its beauty was nothing compared to that of the girl looking down at me from her balcony. From so far away, I could still see the tears brimming in her eyes and her brunette hair as it was whisked in the wind. Her face was a picture of utter heartbreak and regret.

And mine reflected it.

Our eyes connected as they always managed to. We stood and stared, tears threatening to fall in both my blue and her brown.

I saw her whisper the three words that sent my heart soaring. Oh, how the beta wished so desperately to take control. It would lead much more lovingly, it always had and always would.

And I'd be happy.

But alpha took over as he always did.

 _You can't do this,_ he said. _You can't do this._

 _But I want to,_ beta pleaded.

But it lost the argument as it always did. Alpha took over and beta receded into the background.

But before he was completely gone, he took control for a moment, just long enough for me to say what I needed.

"I love you," I whispered back to her. She saw and smiled, still looking into my eyes, her heartbreak clear.

I wished with all of my might that I could stay there and look into the depths of her brown eyes forever. They were enticing, captivating, gorgeous. I would never leave her, if only I could look into her eyes.

But alpha, the devil, stole my gaze away from her. He turned my eyes to the car, forcing me to wait without her.

Beta tried to convince him, but he wouldn't budge on this.

I was not looking back at the woman I loved. Not now, not ever again.

My heart broke for the thousandth time of the day.

The driver, now done with my suitcase after having had put it into the trunk, opened the door for me, waiting patiently as I hesitated.

 _Don't look at her._

 _But why?_

 _Because I fear that if I do…_

 _…_ _I will never get into this car._

So I took a deep breath and climbed in, never looking back.

* * *

I watched as my Eikko climbed into the car, swallowing to keep his composure. I desperately wanted, no, _needed_ him to turn to me, for me to see his bright blue eyes again, as sunken in sadness as they were.

But then he was gone.

And I would never see him ever again.

I let out a strangled breath. It was over. It was over. Over.

How could I have let this happen? _Why_ did I let this happen? I didn't care about looking like a good queen. I was still a teenager! And as crazy as it was to say, my hormones needed to be appeased!

I missed him. I missed his scent, his crooked smile, his loving eyes, dark hair. He hadn't been gone longer than a minute, but I felt his absence like a punch to the gut. Without him, I felt like the ocean without its water, the sky without its sun, the night without its stars…

And a girl without her heart.

Before I could break down into tears again, a knock sounded on my door. For a split second, I allowed my heart to jump with joy, thinking that Eikko had returned. He was here, right outside my door! I'd run into his embrace and never let him go, never let him let go of me.

But my head scoffed at my stupidity and child-like hope. _You just saw him leave you. He's not here._

My heart plummeted.

I walked away from my balcony, brushing at my hair with my fingers and wiping at my eyes quickly to try to clear them of their tears. And they were merciful, leaving me…for now, at least.

I took a deep breath as I stood, not a foot from my door. After a moment, I opened it expectantly.

But what I didn't expect was to be immediately swept into someone's arms, cradled by the unusually strong arms of a baker. He twirled me around, not listening to me when I squealed excitedly and told him to put me down. He just laughed and shook his head. I clung to his shoulders as the room moved around me, smiling despite my sadness.

When he finally stopped, he looked at me, grinning widely. He didn't put me down, just held onto me tightly.

"Henri!" I gasped, short of breath. "Why?"

He shrugged, his wide grin turning into a content and happy smile. "For fun. I needing to tell that I love you."

I smile back at him, hugging his shoulders. Henri, though he wasn't Eikko, was an amazing person. I needed to believe that I would be happy with him.

Even if it hurt more than anything in the world.

I looked into his eyes. "I love you, too."

But try as I might, I couldn't ignore the pain in my heart and the feelings fluttering around in my chest.

I didn't know if I could convince my heart to think differently than it already was.

And I didn't know if my head wanted me to or not.

* * *

 **2089 words. This one's like in the middle of the other two chapters.**

 **So this is like the last chapter about Eadlyn and Eikko and how they feel when Eikko leaves. From now on it's going to be of the actual drama/plot of the story and not just them being sad and heartbroken XD yay or nay?**

 **If you like the warriors series, be sure to check out The Aspen's Screech! If you want to! ;)**

 **QOTDT) Who's better, Maxon or Eikko?**

 **Ok thanks you guys! I'll update again once I get 5-10 reviews! (I'll probably be updating once a day for a few more days so that this story can be a bit longer before I take days off from updating, but I'm not sure *shrug*)**

 **Love you! See ya later!**


	4. The Beginnings of Plans

**Hey guys! Sorry I didn't update yesterday, I was exhausted ALL day long! But I'm here again!**

 **A few things before I get to the RR's and the story: first off, you should look up what a converse is on google, it should be the second definition, it's kind of important to understand a part of this chapter. Secondly, the last part of this chapter is from a mystery character's POV, so be ready for it ;)**

 **K here you are!**

 **RR's**

 **iloveerik: yeah, I really wish there are more stories about them :'( They're amazing! And so are you! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

 **AmeValdez: thank you! And yeah, I wish they could just be together, but the end of this chapter brings a twist… kind of… or at least a silver lining ;) I'm excited to see how you feel about it! Thanks for being awesome! XD**

 **supergirls2008: hmm…I see you like maxon…SAME! But I honestly don't think I could pick between him and Eikko, they're just both so adorable ;) enjoy! I think you'll like the new chapter!**

 **Maida: thank you so much! Your review totally made my day! I hope u like the new chapter! Thanks for your awesome review! It made me tear up :')**

 **AusllyRuaraR51FANINTHEWORLD: thanks! And I couldn't pick between Eikko and Maxon either, they're both so amazing XD enjoy! Thanks for always reviewing!**

 **Abizeau: thank u so much for reviewing all my chapters! And I love your stories! The reason I randomly stopped reviewing what a pair of shoes can do is because I had to write this chapter XD but ill start reading it again as soon as I post this chapter! ;) enjoy!**

* * *

 **K, here it is! Enjoy the new chappie!**

* * *

I laid in my bed, arms flung out beside me, eyes glued to the ceiling. There wasn't a spark of light in sight; the heavy curtains had been shut so that not even a single ray of creamy moonlight could penetrate the blackness that resembled my shattered heart so well.

My brown eyes remained unblinking as I sighed. I was so unsure of everything right now. Eikko, Henri, my responsibilities, and, for some reason, the sigh that had just passed through my lips. Why? Because I couldn't tell what emotion it was that the small exhale had held.

Sadness?

I don't know.

Misery?

I'm not sure.

Regret?

Maybe.

Anger?

Possibly.

Depression?

How was I to know?

The single feeling that I knew undoubtedly had been held within the sigh was heartbreak.

That emotion had been showing up quite frequently ever since Eikko had left me. It was associated with the thoughts of him, in fact. It was like light and the sun: you couldn't have one without the other being present in some way.

To put it simply, heartbreak and Eikko were a never ending converse.

Well, _anything_ and Eikko were a converse, really. I saw him in everything. He was _present_ in everything.

I looked at the bushes and flowers of the gardens and I saw him.

I looked at the chairs in the Woman's Room and I saw him.

I looked at my own reflection, so sad and broken as if the glass itself was damaged…

And I saw him.

Because I couldn't see myself without seeing him beside me, too.

Because he was a part of me.

Because he was my heart.

I sighed again and rolled onto my side, eyes staring at the black of my room, unseeing and uncaring. To me, emotions came from the heart. And I couldn't bother to care if I didn't have my heart with me.

How long had Eikko been gone?

A whole four hours.

I'm a wreck, I know.

A few tears slid from my eyes and a few shaky breaths escaped from my throat. I knew that my nights would be filled with this for at least a few days, which would eventually turn into a more realistic and believable few _weeks._ Because let's admit it, there was no way I would be getting to sleep when all I could think about was him.

Dreams come when I sleep. They come for everyone when they sleep. But I knew that my dream wouldn't come for me just because I closed my eyes and drifted off. He'd need more coaxing than that. And it was too late to give him the love and encouragement that he'd needed to stay with me.

So my nights and days would remain dreamless.

A never ending nightmare.

. . . ….. . . .

I curtsied to Henri, who beamed and bowed deeply to me in response. I took his arm, smiling to hide my plummeting heart and mood. I couldn't lash out at him for no reason. He literally had done nothing to me other than bow and offer me his arm. So I was polite, as I had been taught to be my entire life.

We walked down the halls of the third floor of the palace on the start of our first day as an engaged couple. I looked at the portraits of our family, paintings of younger versions of my Dad, mother, Ahren, Kaden, Osten, and I dancing through the hallways, and I thought of how one of myself and my fiancé would soon be added.

 _Fiancé._

I had to stifle I shudder from running throughout my entire body.

 _Stop it, Eadlyn! Henri's a very nice man! Besides, you said it yourself: he worships the ground you walk on!_

 _True._

We turned down a hallway and came face to face with the door that opened up to my mother's study. She'd sent a note to my room this morning, telling me to meet her there with Henri. It wasn't hard to figure out what she wanted to talk to us about.

As I entered the room, Henri behind me, I saw Mother sitting at her desk, turquoise dress adjusted beneath her, papers spread out around her. Dad stood directly behind her, looking at them over her shoulder and fiery red hair, one hand on her back. The two of them turned at the sound of my arrival, both smiling at the exact time.

 _They do that a lot, acting simultaneously._

 _It's kind of creepy._

 _…_ _Or cute, I don't know which._

 _The ability to act that way must come with being so deeply in love for so long._

 _I could've had that._

I shoved the last thought away and rolled my eyes at Mother, smiling. "I thought you weren't supposed to be doing any work."

"Oh, I know." She waved her hand, as if dismissing what I'd said as something infinitesimally important. "But this isn't _work_ work. It's fun work!"

"Fun work? I'm pretty sure that doesn't exist."

"Oh, you'll see," Dad laughed. "I think you'll have fun with this project."

I scratched my head, pretending to have to think about what the "mysterious" project was. "Hmm…is it the wedding?"

"Of course!" Mother exclaimed.

The three of us laughed as Mother and Dad came to me, hugging me tightly. They hadn't had the time last night to do so after _The Report,_ what with me running off and having a serious breakdown.

Not that anyone knew about that.

They turned to Henri and grinned. Dad held out a hand to him, shaking it firmly, while Mother just embraced him. "I'm so glad to finally have another son in the family," she whispered in his ear. He nodded, smiling; there was no way that Henri had understood everything she'd said, but his expression showed that he understood the context of it.

"So," I said, trying to move things along. "What first?"

Mother seemed happy to lay down the information for me. "Well, we'll be having an official meeting tomorrow to talk about the specifics of the wedding, like possible dates and the budget, which will not be small, mind you, but we can go over some of the smaller details now."

"Smaller details like what?"

"Oh, you know, what the bouquets will be made from, the color of the bridesmaids' dresses, and the overall color scheme of the wedding. You know, things like that."

I nodded, rubbing my forehead with the back of my hand. I hadn't even started planning it and I already was feeling stressed. "Okay, let's get started."

I pulled up a chair next to Mom at her desk. I looked at the papers spread out on it and saw that they all had to do with white dresses, bright flowers, and smiling brides. I grinned. My mother seemed to know what she was doing. I felt the stress of the moment ease up a bit.

Mother turned to Dad and Henri, who were both standing by the door. "Maxon, did you want to start Henri's prince consort training today?"

He nodded once. "Henri, if you will." He motioned to the door. "Let's leave our ladies to talk. We have our own things to discuss."

Henri looked at me with sadness and longing in his eyes, but he left after a moment of hesitation. Dad followed, stopping at the door for a moment to turn back to Mother.

"I'll see you later, dear," he said, grinning at his wife's eye-rolling.

After he'd left, we got down to business. By the end of our work, which had lasted for a few hours, we had the outlines for the necessities of the wedding planned out, including the flowers in the bouquet, Stephanotises, and the color of the wedding, a deep red.

"Oh." Mother snapped her fingers as we were packing up, seeming to have remembered something last minute. "What are some dates that you'd be okay with? We don't have to have it finalized this minute or anything, but we should start thinking about it."

I was stumped on this one. "I'm not sure, actually. Should it be soon or not?"

"Whatever you'd like, really."

Wow. Thanks for the help, Mom.

"Well," I started, chewing on my lip in thought. "I think I should have it soon, but not too soon, you know? Maybe in…five months?"

Was that soon?

Mom, graciously, nodded. "Yeah, I think that could work. That'd give Henri a good amount of time to work on his vows and get them smoothed over."

That was true. He'd need to get his English to sound perfect for the wedding and hopefully he'd be ready for it by then if he had five months to prepare.

"That reminds me," Mom said. "Have you started looking for another translator for Henri?"

I literally slapped my palm to my forehead and groaned. "Ugh, I _completely_ forgot! How could I be so stupid?" I sighed. "I'm sorry, Mom. I must've thought that Eikko would be staying here forever I guess."

My breathing hitched for a moment when I realized what I'd said. I looked at Mother, but she hadn't seemed to think about the sentence in any way other than what it had seemed to state, that I thought he'd be staying to help Henri.

But the reality was that I needed Eikko way more than Henri did.

"It's fine, Eady," she said, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked to Mother as she continued to pack away the papers. She had a small smile on her face and her eyebrows were raised ever so slightly. The expression made her look content, amused, happy…

But maybe a little sad, too.

Why would she be sad?

I blinked, though, and the sadness was gone.

Huh. I must've imagined it.

Mother stood up, brushing off her dress. "It's fine," she repeated. "I'll find a new translator for Henri. You'll be busy with the wedding and everything you'll need to figure out for the constitutional monarchy, so let me handle this one, okay?"

I shook my head, taken aback. "No, Mom, I couldn't ask you to do that."

"Well, you didn't ask."

"That's not my point."

She put a hand on my cheek. "And it's not mine, either. But I'm still doing this for you." I opened my mouth to protest, but she cut me off before I could start. "And you can't change it. You may be the Queen, but I'm still your mother, and that's above anything else. So don't argue!" She patted me on the shoulder and winked at me before walking out of the door of the study, most definitely heading to see my dad, smiling the same smile as before.

I rolled my eyes and called after her. "Thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah!" was her reply. "Don't mention it!"

I sighed again. "Sure," I said, so quiet that I barely heard the single, melancholy word. "I won't."

And I knew that I wouldn't. Being as prideful as I was, I'd never let anyone know that I was glad Mom was doing this for me.

Because I knew it'd kill me to have to replace Eikko myself.

* * *

She'd lied. I knew she had.

I'd seen it clearly from the day it had started. And I'd seen whom it was directed at.

But it wasn't right.

So she'd lied.

And now she was paying for it.

It was sad to see.

I tried my best to make things better, I really did.

I was happy.

Kind.

Friendly.

Welcoming from the start.

I'd hoped that she'd end it happily.

In love.

And she had.

But not anymore, it seemed.

I knew why.

It hurt me, but I knew why.

Could my happiness fuel hers?

Rebuild it so that she forgot about him?

No.

So then should I confront her about it?

No, that'd make it _much_ worse.

What, then?

Sit back and watch as she trudged by, day after day?

No, I could never.

I loved her too much to do nothing.

But my only other option…

It was insane.

And not fool-proof, either.

It could quite easily fail.

But I suppose doing anything would be better than doing nothing at all.

And for her happiness and love, I'd risk it.

I mean, what did I have to lose?

…Okay, a lot…

No matter.

It was worth the risk.

Anything was for love.

Don't fret, Eadlyn.

Soon, things will get better.

I have a plan.

* * *

 **2081 words. Meh.**

 **Sorry if the planning thing was a bit rushed, it started to seem to get boring, so I decided to end it before it got too bad XD**

 **So next chapter will probably be from Eikko's POV. I think I'll do a back and forth kind of thing with the chapters, you know? Would you like it that way?**

 **Don't forget to check out The Aspen's Screech if you're a warriors fan!**

 **QOTDT1) who was the person at the end of this chapter who has a plan? (I may or may not be giving away who it is in the next 1-3 chapters, it depends on if everyone guesses who it is or not :/ if not, then you'll find out at the end of the story most likely)**

 **QOTDT2) do you want a lot of drama/ events about the constitutional monarchy to happen? Because, and I'm gonna be honest here, I don't know much on that kind of thing and I'm going to have to do some research and serious brainstorming to make the story not sound extremely political XD but whatever you want!**

 **Thanks for reading! I'll update again once I get 5-10 reviews!**

 **Love you! Byeeeee!**


	5. Girl Next Door

**Ok, important news! Sadly, I will not be able to update very much in the next few weeks. Tomorrow at like noon-ish, I have to leave for summer camp and I'll get back on Friday. And then next Sunday, I'm leaving for an RV trip that lasts like 2 weeks. That means basically no wifi for 3 weeks straight which means no updating :'( I'm REALLY sorry and I'll try to update tomorrow or again tonight, but that might not happen. I swear, though, I will try to update as frequently as I can for the next few weeks. SUPER SORRY, LOVES!**

 **BUT I WILL UPDATE NEXT FRIDAY OR SATURDAY! SO YEAH! XD**

 **Ok, well, here's your RR's and chapter!**

 **RR's**

 **SelectionRoyalty13: Yeah, I agree with you on the whole constitutional monarchy thing :/ and you'll figure out who it was in this chapter! Well, kind of…;) thanks for reading!**

 **Guest: here u are! ;)**

 **supergirls2008: hmm…maybe… ;) and I agree with having more Eikko and Maxon and less of the constitutional monarchy! Thank you for always reading and reviewing! You're seriously the best! XD**

 **Abizeau: Maybe it is…maybe it's not…you'll (kind of) find out in this chapter! Thanks for reading! You're awesome!**

 **AmeValdez: yeah, I think I'll put in a little bit about the constitutional monarchy, but not a lot. And you kind of find out who it was in this chapter!...kind of. :/ XD Thanks for reviewing! Enjoy the new chapter!**

 **CrazyxChaotic: haha thanks! And yeah, Marid does show up a little bit later, I'm not sure in how long though, I haven't figures it out yet XD This chapter's not as exciting as the others in my opinion, but it ends on a cliffhanger kind of XD I hope u like it!**

 **Rivermoon: What do u mean it's the right story? XD thank you so much for reading this story! Nobody from TAS has read or reviewed it yet…not that I can blame them though, the Selection and Warriors are two very different series XD Anyways, the point is thank u! You're like one of my best reviewers ever! Seriously luv ya, bae! XD XD XD**

* * *

 **OK, here's chapter 5! Enjoy it, loves!**

* * *

I dropped my baggage and embraced my mother as she ran to me. She put a hand to my check and grinned, happy to finally have me back in her house again. My father stood behind her, shy as ever, waiting patiently to welcome me.

"My son!" Mother exclaimed, hugging me again. "It's so good to have you back! Come, come!" She beckoned me into the house excitedly, wiping her hands on her white apron as she did so.

I walked through the door, Father following me. I stood in the entrance, looking around me in a state of insane Déjà vu and sentimentality. The house hadn't changed at all since I'd left. The walls rotated from being dark blue to a foggy grey, creating a pattern of colors. Pictures of our family were spread out, resting on shelves around the room, and books were piled into bookcases all along the wall. The wooden tiling, which was so dark of a brown that it was practically black, swept into each room, continuous and endless. The grey couches in the living room circled our wooden coffee table, and the hanging light in our kitchen shone down upon the dark island and wooden dining table.

Not that I'd expected the house to change. I'd only been gone for two and a half months, after all.

My mother hurried about the house in a rush, working to get it cleaned or something. I'm not sure why she did it. It wasn't like I was the queen or anything.

"Oh, I'm so glad you've returned!" she said, her grin taking up her entire face. "Your father and I have missed you so much. Now," she started, finally coming to stand in front of us, then sat down on the couch, patting it for me to sit down. "You must tell us everything."

I smiled. Seeing my mother and her everyday excitement was refreshing, a wakeup call that I needed so desperately. I obliged, sitting next to her, while Father sat in an armchair next to us.

"Well," I said, having to think about where to start. "The palace is huge. I don't think I've ever been in a building bigger than it. Oh, and they have an insane amount of staff, too. Hundreds, if not thousands of people work for the King and Queen in the palace alone. Henri had his own personal butler and so did all of the other Selected…"

Mother and Father, but mostly Mother, bombarded me with questions for what seemed like months. They asked about everything and anything you could imagine, and I happily answered any question they had. How was the food? How many rooms do you think there were? Were the King and Queen nice?

Lots and lots of questions.

But I knew they were going to eventually get to the topic that I dreaded having to talk about. It was coming, I knew it was, like a storm on the horizon. I just wanted them to ask about her already so that I could answer and be done.

And finally, they did.

"What about the princess?" Mother asked, the words making my heart twist with pain and plummet with despair. "What was she like?"

"She's cool…" _Please don't make me say anything more!_

Mother didn't accept the answer, much to my dismay.

She rolled her eyes. "Cool? That's all you have to say? Come on, give me some details!"

I swallowed, shoving the tears down. "Princess Eadlyn is really nice. She's kind and smart and funny…" I shrugged. "I don't know, she's just cool."

Mother and Father exchanged looks, looks full of confusion and amusement. Mother turned back to me, smiling. "She's 'just _cool'?_ "

I bit my lip. "Yes."

 _'_ _Yes'? How lame could that sound?_

 _Well, I guess as lame as it_ does _sound…_

Mother sighed, shaking her head, a small chuckle escaping her. "Okay, Eikko. Whatever you say."

She jumped, snapping her fingers as she thought of something. "Oh! Idea! Why didn't I think of it earlier?"

Father and I looked at her expectantly. We've gotten used to her random ideas when she's excited. Because as crazy as she was at the moment, she wasn't like this all the time, only when something huge or really stimulating happened. My return home was definitely big enough to get her hyped.

Mother turned to us, a grin on her face. "When was the last time we made omenalortsky?"

Father beamed, standing and rushing to the kitchen, my mother hurrying after him. It was my turn to shake my head and sigh, doing so with a smile on my lips nonetheless.

I stood and followed them.

. . . ….. . . .

The laughter was all around me as we worked in the kitchen. Mother and Father were tied up in themselves, working next to each other, barely inches apart. It didn't matter that their reason for making omenalortsky for this occasion was me; it was their thing, which meant that their spouse, no, their other half, immediately had their full attention.

I wasn't there. It was just the two of them, staring into each other's eyes, so clearly in love.

I sighed as I worked. I had told my other half about this, about my parents and omenalortsky, how it was their thing. I had always wanted a thing with Eadlyn, ever since the parade. And every day after that, I'd wanted a thing even more.

But she was with Henri, and rightfully so. She deserved him. He worshipped her, adored her. He would always be there for her.

I couldn't say as much. I was far away from Angeles, in Kent. And thinking back, I hadn't showed her how much I loved her, at least not in the way that Henri did. If only I had been clearer, more open, then maybe, _just maybe,_ things could've been different.

I scoffed, shaking my head, an action that both showed my contempt for the silly thought and something that worked to erase the tears from my eyes. No, who was I kidding? Things wouldn't be different.

I wasn't part of the Selection, so even though Eadlyn and I loved each other, there was no way that we could be together.

But how I wished we could.

If we had another chance, I'd tell her in every waking moment how much I loved her. I'd never leave her side. I'd catch her when she fell, wipe away her tears when they came. I'd leave her mind with no doubt of my love for her.

Because how was I to know how she felt now, in this exact moment? Did she doubt my feelings in any way? Did she wish for the same things?

I groaned, wiping at my forehead with the back of my hand. If only she wasn't the Queen.

If only she was a normal girl.

If only she was the girl next door, the girl that the characters in the books always fall for.

You know how it goes: normal teenage boy. Normal teenage friend who lives next to him who happens to be a girl. Boy is oblivious to the fact that girl likes him. He tells her all about his crush, Blondey. Blondey _somehow_ likes him. Girl Next Door is happy for him when he and Blondey start going out. Blah blah blah, long story short, Boy finds out that Blondey is needy and not what she seemed, so he breaks up with her. Boy tells Girl Next Door about his breakup and they somehow end up kissing.

Bam. End of story. They live happily ever after.

…Or something.

That's how the books work. That's _always_ how they work. The boy _always_ ends up with the girl next door through some convenient twist in the story.

 _Always._

Why isn't Eadlyn the girl next door? Things would be so much simpler, so much better. We could've worked out. We could be happy.

We'd do all of the things that normal teenage couples do.

We'd sneak out at night.

We'd go to loud parties.

We'd yell at our parents when they'd tell us that we'd have to stay apart.

We'd stay together anyways, find a way.

We'd hold hands.

We'd sneak kisses in between bites of popcorn at the movies.

Maybe we'd even make out under the stars and not care if anyone saw.

I sighed. If only she was the girl next door.

I was jerked from my dismal thoughts as a knock sounded at our door. I wiped my hands on my pants and turned to tell my parents that I'd get it, but decided that I didn't need to. My words would fall on deaf ears; Mother and Father were working on their omenalortsky. They couldn't care less about what was happening around them.

As I walked to the door, I pushed my thoughts of Eadlyn away. I was in Kent again, not in Angeles. It was time to focus on the world around me. There was no reason for the royal family to be in my mind.

But when I opened the door, my previous thought was proven to be false. Because there on my porch stood a woman, along with at least a dozen guards scattered around her. But from what she was wearing, I wouldn't've recognized her had I not been staying in her home for the past few months. She wore a large black coat, the hood pulled up over her head, concealing the majority of her face. Her jeans stretched all the way down to the grey flip flops that she wore on her feet. Her hands were shoved deep into the pockets of her coat and she stood with her head down, keeping her face hidden as if she feared someone might recognize her.

And she had reason and grounding to think so.

But of course I knew who she was. But why she was here was unknown to me. Before I could say anything, she spoke, getting right to the point.

"Erik, we need to talk."

* * *

 **1681 words. Sorry if it seems a bit rushed :/**

 **So as I said before, I'm not going to be able to update until possibly next Friday but probably next Saturday because I have to go to camp. And then after that, I'm going on an RV trip for like 2 weeks. KILL ME PLEASE! DX DX DX anyways, I'll try to update as much as I can in the days that I have left in wifi. I might be able to update tomorrow before I leave, but I'm not sure. *shrug* I'm really sorry u guys :'(**

 **Go check out The Aspen's Screech if you want to!**

 **QOTDT1) who was the visitor at Eikko's house? (There're literally only two people whom it could possibly be)**

 **QOTDT2) should the next chapter be from Eadlyn's POV or Eikko's POV?**

 **Ok thank u for reading as always! You guys are amazing! Don't forget to suggest, correct, and review! I'll update as soon as I can, but please still review!**

 **Ok, I love you byyyyyyyyyeeeee! ;)**


	6. The Color of Heartbreak

**Ok, so I'm obviously updating one more time before I leave. Here's Chapter 6. I felt bad about just leaving, so I hope u enjoy it.**

 **This does mean, though, that I need a combined 15-25 reviews for chapters 5 and 6 to update again. So yeah. If I get back on Friday to see that I have enough reviews, then I'll update as soon as I possibly can ;)**

 **And honestly, when I wrote this chapter, I teared up a bit :'( I didn't when I wrote the others, which is weird because those are way sadder than this one is, but IDK. *shrug***

 **Also, I'll do the RR's for the reviews for chapter 5 that I've already gotten on the next chapter ;)**

 **You guys are the best!**

* * *

I moved aside, opening the door widely as Queen America walked into my house. The plethora of guards followed her, all attentive and serious as they surveyed the rooms around me.

Suddenly, I was glad my Mother had cleaned the house. I had thought that she didn't need to because I wasn't anyone important like the queen.

But the queen was.

Obviously.

Well, kind of. She _technically_ wasn't the queen anymore, but she still basically held the title of it.

The commotion had drawn my parents out of their state of omenalortsky and they scurried into the room, looks of confusion all over their faces when they saw the hooded figure and the dozen guards. When they recognized the woman in the coat as Queen America, they gasped in shock, my mother hurriedly curtsying while my father bowed.

"Your Majesty," Mother said shakily, mid-curtsy. "What an honor to have you in our home."

"Yes." Father's voice was muffled slightly; he was still bowed over and his words had to travel to our ears through his shirt. "Welcome."

"Thank you," Queen America said casually, curtsying to them. "I'm sorry, this must be very sudden. I would've sent a notice to you, but I didn't have the time."

My parents finally stood up straight again, looking relieved to have finished with their awkward formalities.

Mother smiled. "It's perfectly fine, Your Majesty."

"You have a very lovely home." Queen America's gaze flicked over their walls, interest sparking in her blue eyes.

My mother laughed nervously, wringing her hands. "Thank you. But I'm sure it's not nearly as nice as yours."

Queen America laughed. "Well, the palace _is_ nice and all, but it's too big most days. To me, at least. Some days, I wish I could have my old house back."

Mother nodded, understanding. Her eyes panicked for a moment, seeming to have forgotten something. "Is there anything you need? Just ask and we'll help with anything."

Queen America was shaking her head before Mother had even finished speaking. "No, no, you're fine. I just came to see Erik. I need to speak with him in private."

Confusion pooled in Mother's eyes for a split second before she nodded and motioned down the hall towards my bedroom. "Of course, Your Majesty. Eikko…" She nodded to me to go before curtsying again and pulling her husband back into the kitchen in a rush.

Queen America smiled, amusement showing on her face. She nodded to me in greeting. "Lead the way."

I swallowed as I walked down the hall, the sound of the queen's flip flips sounding behind me. I opened the door to my room and sagged in relief when I realized that my mother had cleaned it, too.

What would I do without that woman?

Half of the walls in my room were a deep red, while the other two were grey. My bed was tucked away in a corner, sunlight from the window next to it pouring onto the clean white sheets. A red rug lay in the center of the room, lying on the freshly vacuumed white carpet. Off to the side, my drawers stood, neat and closed, next to the door that opened into my closet. A lonely chair sat by the door, wooden and still.

As I entered the room, I immediately turned to my guest. "Your Highness, I—"

"There's no need for the formality, Erik," she laughed, finally pushing her hood back, her red hair falling across her shoulders and back. "Call me America."

I scratched my head. "I don't know, I—"

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, let's settle for Mrs. Schreave, then."

I hesitated, then nodded.

Mrs. Schreave turned back to the door, where a guard stood. "Thanks, Roger," she said as she moved to sit on the chair by my closet. "Please wait outside of the door. This won't take but a few minutes."

I swallowed nervously again, standing by my bed as I watched the guard leave. I had an inkling about what she wanted to talk about, but who knew? She could be here to sentence me to death!

…Well, I knew she wouldn't do that, she just wasn't that kind of queen, but still. This could get serious.

"Erik," she sighed. "I know about you and Eadlyn."

Wow. She just liked to get to the point.

But still, this wasn't necessarily a good thing. "Y-you do?"

She nodded vigorously. "Of course! I'd be a complete idiot not to see it. The way she looked at you…it may have fooled the others, but not me. I saw it immediately."

I nodded, biting my lip, as she continued. "Besides, just in the past half day, she's been different, sadder. This morning, I had a meeting with her to discuss the wedding"—I flinched slightly at that—"and I could tell that something was off with her. I wasn't one hundred percent sure about what it was about until I mentioned a new translator and she said that she thought that you'd always be there. Her voice said what her words didn't." Mrs. Schreave shrugged. "She thought you'd always be there for her."

I blinked and looked up, running my hands through my hair in an attempt to keep my eyes clear.

She continued, sighing. "I came as soon as the meeting ended. I needed to speak to you about this."

I sat on my bed, the news overwhelming me to the point of having to sit down. I nodded, my head bowed as I rubbed my neck with a hand. "I'm sorry. I'm really, really, truly sorry."

"What for?"

Mrs. Schreave's question surprised me. What did she mean 'what for'?

"For distracting your daughter from the Selection. For falling for her even when I knew it was hopeless. For leaving her." I shrugged, looking at the floor in heartbreak. "For thinking that there could be an us, I guess."

I looked up as I felt a hand on my shoulder. Mrs. Schreave sat next to me, blue eyes sad but shining with love and empathy at the same time. "My boy, don't ever apologize for any of that. One of the reasons that I came was to thank you for those things!"

I sniffed, frowning in confusion. "Really?"

"Of course!" She smiled lightly. "You showed her something that Maxon and I weren't sure she'd ever be able to find, what with being the future Queen and all. We weren't sure she'd ever care enough or have the time to look for someone. And even though she wasn't ready or even willing to look for anyone yet, you still came. And at the right time, too."

She sighed. "Maxon and I were so unsure. She hated the idea of a Selection from the moment we suggested it. We thought for sure that she'd end it without having fallen in love. We hoped, but I don't think that either of us were completely unseeing and stubborn. Eadlyn made it clear that she refused to fall in love, and we believed her.

"But one day…she changed. Maybe her smile was a little more believable or her steps were a bit lighter…I'm not sure what it was, but I knew. She'd finally fallen for someone.

"But I didn't know who until her coronation. Until then, I'd thought it was Kile, maybe. But then I saw the picture that you and she took. She looked so happy and in love. I don't know how I didn't notice how she acted around you before. She smiled for you as if you were the only one in the world. And then when you two left the coronation early…" She chuckled. "I slapped myself for being so oblivious. How had I missed it?

"Every day after, she'd seemed to skip through the halls of the palace. She was lighter than air. During meals, she'd look at you every two seconds. Never at the other boys, only you. You were, and still are, her whole world. She's fallen for you. Completely.

"And I've never been happier to see her so happy. When she fell in love, it was like I did, too. It doesn't matter that you weren't part of the Selection. It doesn't matter who you are or what you do; none of that matters. The only thing that I care about is that she loves you and you love her. And both of you clearly do.

"Thank you. Thank you so much. She loves you so much, more than she thought possible. I don't think she thought she'd ever fall in love, and now that she has, I doubt she'll ever be able to go back. She's head over heels, you know. I can see it in her eyes: she loves you, endlessly. And I can't thank you enough for it. I can't even express how thankful I am to you. She loves you more than anyone she's ever met. You're her everything."

Her face distorted into a heartbroken frown, full of confusion. "Which is why it broke me to see her propose to someone else. I was so sure, _so sure…_ I thought that she'd propose to you, forget about the rules of the Selection…but then she didn't and I…I don't know what to think." She put her head in her hands. "This is my fault. If only I'd told her to propose you, even though you're not a Selected…she wouldn't have hesitated for a moment. You'd be together now. But I didn't tell her, and now…"

She sighed again, dabbing at her eyes with the sleeve of her coat.

Seeing her tears made me realize how many were pouring down my own face. They dripped off of my chin and landed on my shirt, staining it the color of heartbreak. It spread, fogging my entire vision so that it was the only thing I saw. The tears fell, bringing with them the color of my shattered heart.

And I let them fall. Hearing Mrs. Schreave's words filled me with the emotions that I had tried to stifle in front of my parents. But for some reason, it was okay to let them flow in front of Eadlyn's mother.

Mrs. Schreave sniffed, hugging me when she saw my face. I held onto her, sobbing quietly as she cried her own tears.

She moved back after a few minutes. She looked me in the eyes and smiled sadly. "She loves you so much. And I'm so, _so_ sorry."

Suddenly, her eyes changed from soft and melancholy to hard and stubborn. "…Which is why I'm going to fix this."

She straightened and stood, pacing back and forth in front of me. Her hands were clasped behind her back and her red hair whipped around every time she turned. Her eyes were turned downwards in a determined frown, looking at her feet as they traveled across my room, back to where she'd been, and then across my room again.

Her change of mood put me on edge. What was she thinking? What was _I_ thinking?

"Okay," Mrs. Schreave started, voice lacking any doubt or tiredness. "I have a plan. But it's risky and not guaranteed to work. But it's all I've got."

I nodded, shaking visibly. "Okay. What is it?"

She sat next to me on my bed again and dove into the plan. Throughout it, I nodded my head in understanding and answered questions when I needed to, but when Mrs. Schreave had finished it, I couldn't help but sit there with a frown of confusion and hesitance on my face.

"I don't know," I said, unsure. "With all due respect, Mrs. Schreave, this sounds completely insane."

"But it could work."

"Well, yeah…" I searched for an excuse. "But Henri—"

"Is a very nice man, yes. And he adores Eadlyn, too, that's obvious. But he's not who Eadlyn loves. You are."

"I suppose, but he'd be heartbroken."

"Look, Henri deserves someone who loves him as much as he loves them, don't you think?" I nodded. "So he shouldn't be with Eadlyn. Besides," Mrs. Schreave smiled. "If all goes according to plan, he won't end this being heartbroken."

I bit my lip. Mrs. Schreave sure did have a good point…

"So?" She asked, raising one eyebrow as she allowed a small smile to dance onto her face. "Are you in?"

This was risky. It was crazy. The chances that this would even work were extremely minimal. And it could tear apart my brother-like relationship with Henri.

But it was for Eadlyn.

How could I say no?

"Alright," I whispered. "I'm in."

* * *

 **2099 words. Nice!...right? XD**

 **Anyways, like I said, I need 15-25 reviews for chapters 5 and 6 combined to update again. Just wanted to remind u ;)**

 **Be sure to check out The Aspen's Screech if you want to!**

 **QOTDT1) what do you think America's plan is?**

 **QOTDT2) how long should this story be, as in how many chapters?**

 **OK, thank you guys for reading! I'll update again once I get back from camp if I have 15-25 reviews for chapters 5 and 6 combined!**

 **Don't forget to suggest, correct, and review!**

 **Luv u all k byeeeeeeeeeee!**


	7. News

**Ok, so in my defense, I didn't update sooner because I technically didn't get the 15-25 reviews. So it's not my fault!**

 **But here you go anyways, a new chapter. I feel like it's a bit rushed, but I hope you like it nonetheless XD**

 **RR's**

 **Supergirls2008: are you glad it was America or would you have rather it have been Eadlyn? Thanks! Enjoy the new chapter!**

 **Abizeau: haha she would never kill Henri though XD that would be kind of sad…anyways, I hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

 **Iloveerik: haha you're welcome! I love Eadrik! They're totes adorbs, right? XD enjoy!**

 **Anna: I hope you like what happens!**

 **Priscilla: yeah, she does have crazy schemes XD I hope you like this chapter!**

 **AmeValdez: yeah, America's ideas are always kind of stupid, but they have good intentions lol XD I hope you like this chapter!**

 **Guest: thanks! And I love America too! She awesome! XD**

 **CrazyxChaotic: I hope you like what ends up happening with her plan. It gets kind of crazy XD enjoy the new chapter!**

 **Dauntlessprodigy46: here's the new chapter! Sorry it took so long :'(**

* * *

 **Here it is!**

* * *

I huffed angrily as a trudged down the hallway, the stacks of papers in my arms bouncing with each step. Occasionally, a loose report or two would fall from my grasp, and I would either stoop down to grab it up in a hurry or ignore it and move on with my life. Mostly, though, I would do the latter. Today wasn't a good day.

Two meetings about the constitutional monarchy, a long and very boring phone call with the King of New Asia, and now another meeting. All before noon, might I add!

At least this meeting was another one about the wedding. I hadn't had one of these since a few days ago when I talked with Mom in her study, so I'd had a good break from having to think about it.

Because let's be real: I'd rather not have to think about my marriage to a man whom I don't completely love and adore.

Who would?

As I turned a sharp corner, I ran straight into someone, sending every last paper in my arms flying into the air and scattering across the hallway. They rained down around me as I groaned in irritation, whipping my hair out of my face to see the person that was going to make me late.

Dad just smiled and laughed at my state of hurriedness and annoyance. "I'll help you with this, Eady."

We stooped down, grabbing the papers from their resting places, shoving them into a large and anything-but-neat pile. I was trying my best not to look like the fuming person I currently was, but my dad saw through the act easily.

"Sorry, Eadlyn," he apologized, smiling as he did so. "If it helps at all, I was on my way to tell you that the meeting's cancelled."

"What?" I asked, momentarily halting my efforts to grab the numerous reports around me. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Your mother thought it'd be a better idea to have Henri and you meet your new translator today."

My heart both soared and fell at the news. The good thing was that there was no meeting, and God knows how much I despise those things. But the bad news….

I sighed as I stood and thanked my dad for telling me the change of events, then made my way to my room once he told me where and when to meet the new translator. I dropped my stack of papers on my desk, then immediately flopped onto my bed in a rush, face down and limbs outstretched.

I groaned tiredly into my pillow for what had to have been years. At some point during that time, Neena came in and asked me if I wanted any help, but I either waved her away or just kept groaning until she left. I don't really remember which.

I huffed in defeat once my lungs ran out of the ability to keep groaning. Sitting up, I rubbed my face and scratched my head, trying to get myself out of this stupor, but I just fell back onto the bed when I realized it was fruitless.

The bad news was that the last traces of my hope to have Eikko back would evaporate the moment the new translator walked through the palace doors. I'd been holding onto the belief that he might change his mind and say that he'd want to be Henri's translator so that he could be closer to me. I thought for sure that it'd be something he'd do.

But apparently not. He wouldn't be coming back. Not now, not ever. And I guess I'd have to move on. No matter how much it hurt.

I sighed again, turning onto my back as I stared unseeingly at the ceiling. It would hurt. It would kill me. It would rip my heart out. But I'd have to do it.

…Wouldn't I?

Yes, I'm Queen, so I could technically do basically whatever I wanted. And marrying Eikko instead of Henri would be within my possibilities, definitely.

But it's too late now. If I'd wanted, and I mean _really_ wanted, to marry Eikko, I would've proposed to him instead of Henri on live television. So did some part of my subconscious think that it wasn't worth marrying Eikko if it meant I'd look like a bad queen? Did I actually think I'd be happy with Henri?

Well, of course I'd be happy with Henri, he worships the ground I walk on.

But I know I wouldn't be as happy with him as I would be with Eikko.

But I _would_ still be happy with him. I can't just forget, just ignore that.

So I'll move on. I'll forget about Eikko, or at least try to. And maybe one day, I'll love Henri as much as I love him. Because I do love Eikko.

But that ship has sailed. It's too late. And there's no one to blame but myself. So I'll live with what I've done and deal with the consequences.

Because I'm Eadlyn Schreave. No one is more powerful than me. I can do anything.

And I guess living with the results of my actions is a part of anything.

. . . ….. . . .

I kissed Henri lightly on the cheek as I reached him and my mother. We stood in the Great Room, waiting for the new translator to arrive. I was curious to see who it was; I hadn't even been given a name, after all.

"Thanks again," I whispered to Mom. "I've had a lot on my plate for the past few days. This means a lot to me that you did this."

Mom laughed. "Oh, it was nothing, Ead. Besides, I like helping you in any way that I can." Then she winked at me, as if giving a deeper meaning to her words. I just frowned slightly in confusion and brushed it off.

At that moment, the doors to the Great Room burst open, announcing the arrival of our newest staff member. And let me be the first to say that she was not what I was expecting.

Not only did the fact that our new translator was a girl surprise me, but that she was outright gorgeous. She had long, flowing, golden hair that waved slightly as she walked. Her skinny jeans hugged her in just the right way that made you wonder if they were made specifically for her likeness. She had on a flowing white top with spaghetti straps, exposing the tanned skin of her arms. Her perfect white teeth beamed from behind cherry red lips, her green eyes alit with excitement.

She hugged me as soon as she reached me, bouncing slightly in her happiness. She let out a little squeal as she moved on to Mom and Henri, forgetting any formalities one should acknowledge while meeting royalty. But I couldn't really be bothered to care.

"It's so wonderful to meet you!" she finally said, her light and airy voice reverberating around the room. Her words held hints of a Finnish accent, but not as heavily as Henri's did. "Thank you so much for giving me this job!"

"It's our pleasure," Mom graciously responded, dipping her head slightly as she did so. "We're delighted to get to work with someone so excited and outgoing. As you can imagine, the palace can get a little dull some days." She laughed, and the girl laughed with her.

"Yes, I can imagine so." She turned to me and Henri, smiling radiantly at us. "I'm Aava. As you obviously know, I'm your translator!"

I plastered a smile on my face. "I'm Eadlyn. Thank you for taking the job on such short notice."

Aava waved away the comment, shaking her head. "No big deal. I'm just glad I could get this opportunity at all!"

Mom stepped in for a moment, clearing her throat slightly. "Well, I'll leave you three to get to it. Try to have a little fun and get to know each other! After all, you will be spending a lot of time together!"

Then she winked at me again and walked off, leaving me to talk with Henri and Aava in my confusion of what she'd meant by the action.

But I merely shrugged and pushed the thought to the back of my mind. I had other news to focus on.

* * *

 **Author's Note Thing**

 **1395 words. Sorry, I know it was a bit rushed.**

 **ATTENTION ATTENTION ATTENTION! I started a new Selection story! It's just a book of one shots requested by you guys, the readers, but it would mean the world to me if you checked it out! Of course you don't have to, it's cool any way ;) thanks!**

 **If you're a fan of the warriors series, don't forget to check out my warriors fanfic, The Aspen's Screech!**

 **QOTDT1) Whose POVs have you been liking more, Eadlyn's or Eikko's?**

 **QOTDT2) how much longer do you guys have of summer vacation? (I go back on 7/25/16 DX)**

 **Thanks for reading! I love you all! I'll update once I get 7-13 reveiws!**

 **K bye! ;)**


	8. Not a Good Day

**So…hey, guys *nervous laughter* hehehh…I'm back? I think?**

 **OK DON'T KILL ME I KNOW I'VE BEEN GONE FOR 8 MONTHS AND I FEEL AWFUL ABOUT IT I'M SORRY DON'T KILL ME GAHHHHHHHHHH!**

 **Truly, I feel terrible about it. But here I am, posting a new chapter. At least there's that…right?**

 **I'm going to try to post more often on this story, which really shouldn't be hard given, you know, it's been 8 months, but it still might not be like once a week. Probably more like once a month or so at the longest. BUT I LOVE YOU, I DO, I JUST HAVE A LOT OF FANFICS TO WORK ON AND SCHOOL AND I JUST CAN'T UGHHHH IM SORRY!**

 **Anyways, I'm sorry, don't hate me, and enjoy! ;)**

* * *

The tinkling sound of Aava's laugh filled my ears, only adding to my pounding headache. I liked the girl, I really did, but after my sleepless night, I was running on four cups of caffeinated coffee and a bad temper.

Adding our new translator's outgoing and too-cheery personality was not mixing well with my mood.

It was a week after Aava first arrived. We were in my room, doing what Mom liked to call "bonding sessions." These basically consisted of Aava and Henri talking to each other while I sat there, bored, answering the questions they asked me in one or two word answers.

To tell the truth, I wasn't really feeling these sessions. Not because Aava and Henri were excluding me or anything, God no. In fact, I was the one excluding myself from the other two. After the first two hours of talking with them, I'd found that they shared _way_ more similarities than I'd ever hope to have with them, so I found it best to stay out of their way.

Unfortunately, it was still mandatory for me to show up to the sessions.

Yay.

"Okay," the blonde's voice floated to my ears where I lay sprawled on my bed. She sat on the end of my bed, her long, tan legs swinging from where she perched. Henri sat below her, on the ground, staring up at the two of us. Or mostly Aava, I guess, because my head was planted firmly in my pillow, making it clear that today, I didn't feel like talking to anyone, forget about even looking at them.

"Okay," Aava repeated, her broad grin audible in the single word she spoke. "So we're both from Swendway, love to cook, and love the color yellow. Wow. We have a lot in common. Hey Ead?" she called to me, and I had to work incredibly hard to stifle my groan.

"What?" I drawled through my pillow, not caring that I must sound rude.

"What's your favorite color?"

 _Why should I care?_

"Red," a moaned despite my irritation at the groundless question.

"That's cool." _No, it's not. Why would that be cool? It's just a color!_ "Alright, another question…I'm out of ideas. Henri, can you think of any?"

Even without looking, I could imagine his perky smile. "Hmm…" His voice was low, but full of thought. "Favorite movie genre." He pronounced "favorite" like "Fave-or-it." I smiled slightly.

"Ooooo, good idea!" Aava squealed. I groaned and pressed a hand to my throbbing head. _Thanks, Aava._

The blonde sighed. "I've gotta say, I _adore_ dramas."

"Really?" Henri laughed. "Me also!"

Aava let out a small giggle. "I mean, they're just so interesting! Especially when one of the main characters dies and everyone else is distraught. That'd be awful if it happened in real life, of course, but still! In the movies, it's okay. What about you, Ead?"

Wow, I hated that nickname.

I rolled onto my back and sat up, ignoring my messy hair. "Action romance."

Aava blinked and smiled her dazzling smile at me. "Oh, I like those, too. Mostly the ones where the hot guy takes off his shirt, am I right?" She bit her lip and gave me a wink.

Despite my sour mood, I laughed.

But yeah, that was definitely true. Movie stars were pretty hot.

Aava turned back to Henri and just like that, my sour mood returned. I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to be here talking to Aava and Henri. Don't get me wrong, I liked the girl, I really did; she's actually quite fun to talk to. But today hadn't been good so far. And everyone knows that a happy person is an irritated person's worst enemy.

But then—oh, then!—my saving grace knocked on the door to my room and poked his head in, his greying blonde hair falling over his chocolate eyes, eyes just like mine. He looked at me, a smile on his face, but it was overshadowed by a look of worry and seriousness.

"Eady," Dad said. "I need to talk to you."

I frowned. "What's wrong?"

His eyes darkened. "You'll see."

After a moment of hesitation, I nodded and stood from my bed. "I'll be back later," I told Aava and Henri, though I in no way intended to carry out that promise. I gave them one last smile before heading out the door, closing the it behind me.

"Alright." I sighed as the entrance to my room closed with a click, secretly relieved to have an excuse to ditch the rest of the session. "What's up?"

Dad shook his head. "Not here. I have to show you something."

A slight crease showing between my brows, I followed him through the halls and into his study, confusion and growing panic replacing my former boredom and despair.

His study was devoid of any sources of light, save for a single lamp on his desk and the paused television. I opened my mouth to ask him what all of this was about, but I was stunned into silence as I saw whose face was on the TV.

That son of a female dog.

"Just watch," Dad said lowly as he started the television again.

"What happened with the Selection?" the reporter asked, holding a microphone up to the man's face. "We all thought Queen Eadlyn had fallen for you."

Marid nodded, fake sadness in his eyes. "Trust me, she did, and we're both still madly in love. But Queen Eadlyn is dedicated to her job, more so than anyone I've ever met. She won't let what we have get in the way of how the Selection is run."

A throaty growl sprang from my lips before I could keep it back, but I found that I didn't care. This was just too _stupid,_ too much to deal with at the moment.

"So…what are you going to do?" the reporter pestered.

Marid sighed and looked down, portraying heartbreak quite effectively. I saw right through it, of course. "I don't know," he admitted. " _Is_ there anything to do? I mean, Eadlyn _had_ to marry that Henri guy. It's part of the rules of the Selection. She has to marry one of the suitors. Let me promise you this, though: had there been no Selection, she'd end up with me for sure. There's no stopping true love."

His last few words sent a pang of agony through my chest. _That's not true,_ a voice in my head said, blaringly loud. _True love can be stopped. It was for me._

But my thoughts of the dark haired and blue eyed boy I cherished so dearly were banished from my mind as the reporter turned back to the camera. "Well, Marid, I think I speak for a good amount of Illea when I say that we stand behind you in this matter. The queen should marry who she loves, the right one for her, not just any suitor who she's willing to settle for."

I flicker of hope shot through my heart, but it was stifled. Just because one reporter would support me didn't mean the whole country would. And besides, it was done. I was marrying Henri.

Marid nodded on screen. "Thank you. I just wanted you all to understand my situation."

Before the reporter could respond, Dad paused the TV again and his study was thrown into deafening silence. I looked at my hands, fury burning through my very being. I could feel it in my arms, surging through my veins. My hands clenched into fists and I resisted the urge to fling the nearest chair into the television.

Yeah, today was _not_ a good day for me.

"He's at it again," Dad stated. "He doesn't know when to give up."

I nodded, gritting my teeth in frustration. "What do we do?"

Silence again as he thought. He looked downwards, one hand on his hip while the other worked through his hair. Marid was giving us too much trouble for what he was worth.

Dad sighed as his other hand moved to his hip. "My thoughts? We do nothing. If we pay him no attention, this will all die out. The public will forget about his claims and carry on with their lives. If we deny it, they'll just see the whole issue as important enough to us to address it at all, and that's not what we want. If you cared about him like he says you do, you'd do something. So doing nothing proves that you don't care in any way."

I nodded, a smile on my lips. "Makes sense."

He laughed at my expression. "See? Your old man knows what he's doing."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, I should hope so. You _did_ rule over this country for a few decades."

Dad smiled. "Oh, but you'd never be able to tell by looking at me. Like I say, I'm not a day over twenty-seven."

I groaned as I made my way towards the door. "Ugh, you act so _old_ sometimes!" He only laughed at that.

"Anyways," he said after his laughter died, and a bit of his old seriousness returned to his gaze. "Don't mind Marid, Eady. It's what he wants."

"Okay," I said. "I won't. Thanks, Dad." As a slipped out the door, I remembered one last thing. "Oh, and Dad?"

"Yes?" He turned back to me, a polite smile on his face.

"Thanks for getting me out of bonding sessions."

He grinned. "Anytime."

* * *

 **1583 words. I think it fits *shrug***

 **I am so incredibly sorry that I've neglected this fanfiction for so long. It's been…8 months? DX ooooooo that's bad. I'm sorry. You all must hate me. I'm surprised there are any of you left even following this story. Sorry, I love you, don't hate me!**

 **In other news, if you like Harry Potter, go check out my HP fanfiction, "Of Pasts and Redemptions." If you're a fan of Warriors, check out "The Aspen's Screech." And If you like the Selection, which you must, I have 2 one shots (which used to be part of my book of one shots but I deleted that story because I didn't have time for it), titled "Infuriating" and "Like Him." Check them out! ;)**

 **QOTDT1) how much do you hate me for not updating in 8 months? Rate of 1-10, 1 being I should go to hell because I'm the worst human being to ever walk the earth and 10 being you still love me XD**

 **QOTDT2) Thoughts on Aava?**

 **Ok, so…yeah. Sorry. I hope you enjoyed…please review! XD**

 **Luv ya!**


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